SHOOTING STARS ✰ jj maybank

044. DAD THEFT AUTO

Everyone finally finished burying the casket after what felt like forever.

"I just don't get it. I mean, you guys saw the map. He hides his gold so no one finds it for one hundred seventy years. And then he sends a message to his son Robert to come here to his mother's grave, but the message never gets to him. Denmark wanted him to find the cross. I know we're in the right spot. It just feels like—"

"Like we missed something?" JJ cut off Pope's rant. Everyone snapped their heads over to the blonde boy. "Guys." JJ began walking towards the tree. "Come here."

Everyone ran over to where JJ was and they all furrowed their brows when he climbed up the Twinkie. Kie followed him.

"There he goes." John B pursed his lips and everyone watched in confusion.

"Whoa." Pope breathed when he noticed what JJ was seeing.

"That looks like—"

"The painting in the island room." Kie cut him off and everyone began to gain hope again.

"It's worth a shot, right?" JJ questioned his friends and turned towards the hole in the tree.

"Yeah." Kie nodded.

"Let's do it." The brunette boy agreed.

The blonde boy took a step to the side and gestured towards the hole. "Go for it." He told Kie.

"No chance." The curly-haired girl narrowed her eyes at the blonde boy.

"You do it!" Sarah called up to JJ, eager to see what they were going to find, or if they were going to find anything at all.

"Someone just do it." Scarlett rolled her eyes.

"Sorry. I... I went in the storm drain so..."

"She did go in the storm drain." Pope agreed with Kie.

"Yeah. No, I'm gonna do it. It's just..." JJ trailed off.

"He's scared," Kie whispered down to her friends.

"I'm not scared, dude."

"You seem scared."

Everyone intensely watched as JJ stuck his hand into the hole and began to feel around for anything. "There's something in here." He let out a small laugh. "Wait."

All of a sudden, JJ began to yell and everyone began to panic and reach their arms out to grab the boy. Scarlett stood next to all of her friends, laughing as she watched the scene in front of her unfold.

Everyone furrowed their brows when JJ pulled his arm out of the hole and began to laugh.

"Oh, you asshole." Pope rolled his eyes in frustration.

"Oh, man! I got all of you on that one." JJ laughed and looked down at his girlfriend who was still laughing.

"Oh, yeah, real original." Pope retorted to the boy.

"You guys are all dumbasses." Scarlett laughed and pointed at her boyfriend. "That was good, J." She giggled.

"Yeah, that was good, wasn't it?" JJ spoke through his laughs and everyone just rolled their eyes at the couple.

"You knew?" Sarah looked at her sister. "Was that, like, planned or..."

"No, it wasn't planned, Sar. The second he stuck his hand in the hole I could tell he was plotting something."

"Jesus, you two really are made for each other." John B muttered.

"Wait, but seriously, there's something in here." JJ stuck his hand back into the hole and pulled out some sort of cylinder capsule-looking thing.